Burnley Guess the Score and a Hull fan aids Bradley Lowery’s fund

Monsieur Salut writes: I had an itch to get this week’s Guess the Score out there, but an e-mail from a Hull City supporter exiled in Sri Lanka removed any doubt. You may recall that last week, despite Sunderland’s inactivity, we offered a mini-edition of Nick Barnes’s splendid Matchbook for the first to post correct scorelines in two games of interest to but not involving SAFC, partly because some unexpected advertising enabled us to do so and partly because the publishers, Tales from Red and Whites are paying £5 into the Bradley Lowery fund for each copy bought. So there were two winners – a Hull supporter and Bradley. Read on …

We’ll get on to our own maybe-this-is-one-we’d-rather-like-to-win game in a moment.

First, some unfinished business. Last week, with no Sunderland game to worry about, we invited predictions for Hull vs Swansea and Bournemouth vs West Ham. The outcomes did us no real favours, but then it was difficult to be certain what we wanted from the Hull game. They beat Swansea 2-1 and Bournemouth made it even less likely they will among our serious relegation rivals by winning 3-2.

Only one reader, among the thousands (sorry, eight) who responded, got either result right. Ian Wilson hoped his team, Hull, would beat the Swans and correctly went for 2-1. Since his name was not immediately familiar, I invited him to select his prize – Matchbook or mug of his choice – and my suspicion that he was not a red and white proved well founded.

But this was his reply:

To be quite honest, as a Hull City supporter, my prediction was one of hope as we really did need the points this week.

I am an avid follower of your site and really enjoy the way you can make everything finish by putting a smile on people’s faces.

I know that when we play each other at the KCOM on May 6 & plans are already underway to give Bradley a special day and I would like also to help make it a day to remember. I would therefore like to donate £50 to the fund. As for the prize, I would like a Hull City mug …

I take this opportunity to wish you all the very best for the rest of the season and really hope you can escape relegation; the PL would not be the same without Sunderland.

Fair play to Ian. His heart in clearly in the right place and liking Salut! Sunderland can only endear him to us.

And now, Sunderland vs Burnley. Can we actually show we want salvation? After three unimpressive games against them already this season, will this finally be our day?

Heart says we’ll win, even if that ends up not being enough in our latest – and, it must be said, not yet started – great escape act. Head says … well, I will leave that for now and put the issue out to our readers.

You can choose between mug and Matchbook if you are the first to post the correct scoreline AND have a UK delivery address. Burnley fans, of course, are welcome to have a go.

Ha’way the Lads.